Friday, November 10, 2006

Swingin’ sounds from SwedenAudio Park APCD-6105 When the German occupied large parts of Europe they left their marks on the amusement music. Jazz music was forbidden. Sweden wasn’t occupied and by the outbreak of the war the American swing was already very popular. One of the leading stars of that moment was Alice “Babs” Nilson, who became very popular. During the war years Sweden was isolated from the rest of the world. Jazz records and artists from countries like the US, couldn’t reach jazz musicians. It didn’t mean that music development came to a standstill; oh no, entertainment business flourished and Swedish jazz expanded. Jazz was played in many dance venues all over the country. A lot of records were made, due to the fact that there was no import at all. When the war was over, Swedish musicians were anxious to hear the new records from the homeland of jazz and when the first American musicians, like Dizzy Gillespie, James Moody and Charlie Parker entered Sweden the musicians were sitting on the front row. Stan Getz and Lee Konitz brought new sounds to Scandinavia, labelled as “cool” jazz. During the period of this compilation (1940-1953) a new jazz generation was emerging in Sweden, like Putte Wickman, Åke Hasselgård, Rolf Ericson, Lars Gullins and Arne Domnerus. Åke Hasselgård, better known as Stan Hasselgard, left for the States when the war was over and became a member of Benny Goodmans septet. Rolf Ericson played his trumpet in the leading big bands of that period, like Woody Herman and Duke Ellington to name some. Stan Hasselgards recordings are to be found on the Audio Park APCD-6102 CD, titled Modern Clarinet Classics. Putte Wickman is to be found on both albums for some 1949 sessions. (tr. 9-10). Arne Domnerus is present as one of the musicians in the band of the Delta Rhythm Boys ( tr. 7-8) and in his own 1949 Favourite Group (tr. 14-15) which included James Moody (tr. 14) who was on tour in Sweden. This great compilation ends with the young significant personality in Swedish jazz of the 1950s, Lars or Lasse Gullins. He is to be found on baritone saxophone with his quartet in a 1951 session ( tr. 17-18) and as one of the members of the Four Tenor Boys, together with Rolf Blomquist,Arne Domnerus and Gosta Theselius. ( tr 19-20)

It is remarkable to learn how Swedish jazz had developed during this period and had given it a great advantage to the musicians in the occupied countries who couldn’t develop freely

3 Comments:

Thanks, Hans for informing about a somewhat overlooked corner of the jazz landscape. Scandinavia has indeed contributed to the development of jazz, good to learn that a Japanese label has decided to issue these stellar recordings!

Kristjan Saag replied on 78-L list: I'm afraid this explanation is a little bit too simple.First: swing was popular all over Europe in the 1930's, not least in Germany where there were many excellent bands, and in Italy - where Mussolini had ruled since 1922.Jazz recordings were made in Germany even during the early war years; and there were thousands of ways to get around the Jazz-Verbot, the ban was never total. Jazz developed strongly in Germany after WW II with the creation of Radio Big Bands in the early 50's, for instance. This would have been impossible if the ban on jazz had been effective during the Third Reich.Moreover: the few years Holland, Belgium, France, Denmark etc were occupied could hardly have arrested the development of jazz in these countries. General wartime conditions, and postwar conditions probably did more: in the US it even killed the big bands. And the British Ministry of Labour's ban on foreign jazz musicians in the UK probably hurt development of jazz in Britain more than Hitler's Jazz-Verbot hurt German jazz or jazz in occupied countries.But true: Sweden was spared the horrors of WW II - that may explain why jazz developed freely, but also why Sweden won more medals in the 1948 London Olympics than ever before...

This is the same in other countries occupied by Germany, during WWII. I can surely tell (according to various sources) that Friedrich Mayer, leader of wartime Radio Belgrade big band, played jazz. He changed the usual names of popular American standards, translated into German and played it with great jazz feeling. Somewhere in 1944., Mayer himself even recorded one record in Budapest (for Durium/Patria label) with his little group that played pure jazz (swing) - I can look at the reference book for matrix number if someone is interesting in this subject. Band called "Mayer's Golden Eight" consisted of various musicians, not necessarily Germans, but Serbian, Jew and Gipsy musicians as well! Jazz music were played during the occupation on Belgrade Radio station, on regular basis.

So, this is only my modest two cents, just to remind all of us that history is not that simple enough. Life, also.